Sketches

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The economic slow-down has hit the construction industry quite hard in the southeast. While economic and construction analysts predict that residential construction will be the first category to resurge, material prices remain low. Labor prices are also flat and it's easy to get a good contractor's attention these days.

People are nervous about investing in real estate but, of course, we still need a place to live or conduct business. It is wise to approach a building project by being honest and informed about space needs and the quality of construction required. Making good decisions about sustainable design, construction methods and materials is also a noble practice in today's economy, but certainly the owner will reap the benefits of well thought-out design for years to come. Our communities are advantaged, too, when someone builds.

We recently conducted an informal in-house survey. Based on one of our residential remodel and addition projects, we determined that over 150 local construction workers and their dependents received direct economic benefit from their involvement on the project. 150 on a relatively small project! Creating jobs in the construction sector seems to be a great way to get the economy back on track!